


Stronger Together

by Louhow



Category: Anthem (Video Game)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Anthem 2.0, BioWare, Character Development, F/M, Fights, Gen, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-23
Updated: 2020-03-25
Packaged: 2021-02-28 21:01:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,208
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23273635
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Louhow/pseuds/Louhow
Summary: Freelancer Ashwin survived the Heart of Rage and the loss of her friends. She refuses to let that get her down and pushes herself to keep fighting. Jax Kumar lost too many friends in the Heart of Rage. Somehow Ashwin brings him back into the fold. But everything she does, reminds him of why he stopped fighting. They both must realize what it means to be strong together.





	1. Fort Tarsis

**Author's Note:**

> This is a fanfic that follows the entire release. However from there, it's going to change to how I think Anthem should go. Including how I would start Anthem 2.0, how to use resources, and what character choices should happen in Anthem 2.0.

##  Fort Tarsis

Her stomach rolled with the heavy stomps of the Strider. Ashwin clenched her teeth as the smell of sweat, salt, and the cargo overwhelmed her senses for a moment. The lights swayed with each step, and conversations from the other passengers seemed to echo in her mind. Ash could hear them whisper about her, two people had moved away from her as she sat down. She was, or had been, a Freelancer. Freelancers did not throw up, Ashwin forced herself to take a deep breath, her stomach rolled again, the acid burned her throat. Ash measured the steps to the lavatory, weighed her options and sprinted to the small door. 

The smell was worse here, but it didn’t matter. She finally emptied her stomach and looked at the broken stained mirror above the small sink. She studied her dirty reflection, honey brown eyes, freckles, brown hair that refused to stay pulled back; she knew full well why she was sick. It happened every time she was in a strider since the Heart of Rage. It had been over a year ago, when everything she had worked for fell apart. Her friends, her heroes had died. Haluk’s bravo had given her courage, Fay’s smile had made her smile, Miller’s laugh had made her laugh….but they were gone now. Millar and Asair were dead, Fay and Haluk had left without a goodbye. 

Ash wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, glared at the mirror and stomped back to her seat on some of the crates. Her stomach gave an annoyed rumble. She swallowed hard, she was a freelancer. Freelancers would not be sick. 

By the time the Strider made it to Fort Tarsis, Ashwin had been sick several more times. She trembled as she followed the rest of the passengers down the ramp and into the backwater city. Ash leaned against a wall as she enjoyed the fresh air and still earth. She stared up at the metal tower, the guide for Freelancers and Sentinels when they launched, glad her stomach had started to settle. Slowly she let her gaze fall down the walls into the market. 

The last time she had been at Tarsis, it had been full of life. Perhaps it was because the freelancers were all about to fight the Heart of Rage, the marketplace had been crowded with shops.  It wasn’t as she remembered, there were only a few stalls near the launch pads, two of the pads were roped off with no signs of them being worked on. The majority of the stalls were broken down, empty, or full of trash. The bright banners she had seen were old and dusty, a whole string of prayer flags had fallen but no one had replaced them. She had heard rumors that Tarsis had fallen from prosperity but this was worse than she had anticipated. 

Once her stomach had settled, and the vertigo had subsided, Ash wandered the rest of the small fort. Her memory wasn’t great, she took several alleyways and deadends before she found the door to the Freelancer building courtyard. One of the carvings, the one showing Helena Tarsis was half covered, unfinished and Ash couldn’t explain why it made her feel sad. She refused to give up on the glory days. Ash shoved opened the second door into the courtyard and gasped.

The building was closed, scaffolding blocked the door along with junk and crates that blocked the fenced off door. It seemed that no one had used the building for ages. The two javelin statues that once towered over the doorway, were covered with large sheets. One of the sheets had fallen off, the statue was rusted and stained from bird droppings and bad weather. 

Ashwin wandered closer to the fountain. It was half empty; the water stank, moss and slime covered the edges, she turned away with a wrinkle of her nose. The courtyard itself was empty. The last time she was here, there had been tables and chairs set up. Radios had been chattering with stories and news until they got mixed into conversation. It was silent now. 

Ashwin threw off a sheet covering some tables and a chair, and moved them near the fountain. She sat down with a huff and rested her head in her hands, it wasn’t fair. Everyone had given up on them. Freelancer had existed before the Heart of Rage and they would after. She would make sure of it. She wouldn’t give up, that wasn’t what Freelancers did. Even if that’s what Haluk and Fay did; she wouldn’t do it. She would find a job, put on her javelin and prove to everyone in Fort Tarsis, prove to the world; Freelancers did not give up. 

She stood up so fast, her chair hit the stonework with a thud, that echoed in the empty courtyard, half jogging she crossed over to the door to look at the posting board. She couldn’t be the only person with hope. Ashwin frowned, apparently she was. 

“No jobs.” 

Ash jumped and spun around, she had totally missed the man who was hidden in the shadows of two crates. His legs were above his head, hooked over a crate while he rested between two crates, his head upside down as he spoke to her. How he had gotten in there was a mystery to her, but he did look comfortable, “I see that.” she walked closer then stopped. 

The man was older than her, an unkempt beard, shaggy hair, and a smell of piss, old vomit, and alcohol washed over her. She was nearly sick again. He tried to shift himself into an upright position but his legs seemed stuck above his head. So he flopped back down and looked at her, “No, I mean, they post them at the warehouse.”

Ash frowned and looked at the board again, “Why? Why not here?”

He laughed, she could smell his breath, “Because no one comes here.”

There was something familiar about this man, Ash looked around again, “You’re here.”

The man tried again to sit up straight but failed, “Quiet, empty,” he twisted his head, “You sound familiar...do I know you?”

Ash snorted, “You’ve been to Helios?”

“Nope, you’ve been to Fort Tarsis before?”

Ashwin almost shook her head, but then nodded reluctantly, “Once, about a year and half ago.”

Ashwin saw something flash across the man’s face for a moment, if it wasn’t the same look that haunted her, she would have missed it.

“There was a lot of us here back then.” he said softly. 

Ash couldn’t hide the surprise even if she wanted too, “You’re a freelancer!” she wasn’t sure if she wanted confirmation or was just surprised.

“I  _ was _ .” He corrected, the glint in his eyes faded, Ash stepped back as he extended his arms, and did a cartwheel out of his position. He was taller than he originally looked. He studied her for a moment, “You’re just a kid.” he said almost to himself.

“I’m twenty three.” she said instantly, she survived the Heart of Rage, that didn’t make her a kid anymore.

“You were twenty one when you went in there?” he rubbed his greasy hair, “What the hell were they thinking?”

Ash suddenly felt like she had missed something. It didn’t matter her age when she went into the Heart of Rage, she didn’t feel like a kid anymore. None of the survivors felt that way, “ _ I  _ was thinking I was ready--”

“You weren’t.” He snapped, he seemed to regret the way he spoke, “None of us were.” he said softly. 

Ash didn’t argue, he was right, no one could have known what a failure the Heart of Rage was; and even if they had...it wouldn’t have stopped the Freelancers. 

“Are there any others here?” She asked, not wanting to relive the memories again.

“Freelancers?” he shook his head and looked back at her, “Or survivors?”

“Both.” 

“A couple. Jani, Rythe, old man Yarrow, and a few more. No one from the Heart of Rage though.” He gave a small smile, “Just us.”

Ash studied him for a moment, she tried to see past his grief, his pain, she could almost see him in a javelin, “Freelancer Ashwin.” She thrust her hand out to him. 

He hesitated for a moment then took it with a firm shake, “Jax.”

Ash smiled, “Not freelancer Jax?”

Jax dropped her hand quickly, “Not anymore.” He rubbed his greasy hair as he looked around. For a moment Ash wondered if he was confused about where he was. Then he looked back at her, “So what’s your plan Ashwin? See if the Sentinels will hire you?”

Ashwin shook her head, “Find a job, find a Cyper, and fly.”

Jax’s face turned dark, “You’re still flying? After everything? You’re still a freelancer?” He gave a short disgusted laugh and stepped away from her, “I thought you were joking but you’re serious?”

She could feel her face turn red but she didn’t back down, she never backed down from a fight, “I’m a freelancer. It’s what I’ve been trying for since I was twelve. I’m not going to hang up my suit because I got knocked down. Freelancers don’t give up!”

“The freelancers are done, kid!” Jax barked at her. She jumped at the sudden intensity in his face, “It’s over. The sun has set on our glory days. Just move on.” He turned and made his way down an alley. 

Ash watched him for a split second, almost too shocked to speak, “No!” she yelled back at him. He paused but didn’t look back at her, “I’m not done! The freelancers are not done!” 

Jax spun back at her, he caught her wrist and pushed her against a wall, “Yes, we are!” He roared, “You think the Heart of Rage was just a bad fight? We just got pushed down? We died out there! Our friends died! Our family died out there! The Heart of Rage took everything from us!” Jax stepped back from her as if shocked by his own actions, “The freelancers are done.”

Ash watched him start back down the alley, she was almost afraid of him, almost. She took a deep breath and straightened up, “I’m not done.” she snarled back, “And neither are you!”

Jax kept walking away, Ash took another breath, “You said we, you said us! Strong alone, Stronger together Jax! This is your home! It’s why you’re here, outside our headquarters. You haven’t given up! So what you lost a fight! I’ve lost loads of them, the Heart of Rage was just another fight! So get back up and fight back!”

He turned the corner and was gone. Ash realized she was shaking with rage. She leaned against the wall and tried to calm down. Jax wasn’t wrong, too many had died out there. He wasn’t the only person who had lost people. But she wasn’t going to forget them, she was going to do what they all would do in her place. Fight back the anthem and keep people safe. 

Ash wiped the tears that escaped her vigilance off her face and started back to the warehouses, she wasn’t going to give up. She needed to put on her javelin and do what she did best. It was one of the reasons Haluk had wanted her on his team. He had watched her fly, watched her fight, and recognized the spark she had. She wanted to live, she wanted the chase, and she wanted to fly. 

Ashwin found the warehouse by the poorly painted freelancer sign out front. Crates, scrolls, old trophies, and broken javelins littered the entire warehouse. A dozen or so freelancers wandered the crowded space, but there wasn’t the same glow in them there had been all those years ago. Ash wove around the mess, to the board and sighed to herself. There were only two jobs posted. She groaned, a patrol or recording sensors. Both were chores at the best, and nothing at the worst. Reluctantly she pulled down the patrol posting, “Might as well,” she breathed to herself. 

Ash leaned into the cyper room, three chairs were taken, one was in disrepair, and the fifth was covered in filth, a cyper stood out of her chair and stretched. Ash forced a smile, “Hey, you want something fun to do?”

The blue eyed girl raised an eyebrow, “Excuse me?”

Ash winced, “I mean--- let me start over--that sounded really inappropriate,” she swallowed her nervous laugh, “I’m a freelancer, Freelancer Ashwin and I---”

The blonde shook her head, “All freelancers must have their own cyper, all other current cypers are needed for the Sentinels or sending messages between forts. If you have need of a cyper and are on a Fort Tarsis or Sentinel approved mission, please fill out the yellow forms there.” She pointed to an empty box in the corner, “Seems we’re out.” She raised her eyebrow again and sauntered past Ashwin without another word. 

“Wow,” Ash said to no one in particular, “Got that memorized, have you?” 

She looked around the room, hoping that a different poor soul might make eye contact. No one did. Reluctantly she stepped out of the room, searching for a cyper who was off duty. Maybe it was her imagination but everyone seemed to be avoiding her now. She shook her head and wandered back to the launch pads, she should at least see if her javelin made it off the strider, she could give it a test run without a cyper as long as she stayed close to the walls. 

Ash was halfway through the market when she felt someone’s hand graze her side, she spun, throwing her arm back, and elbowing the pickpocket in the chest. 

“Ow!” a familiar voice spoke, “That really hurt!” 

“Owen?” Ash studied the figure, “Is that really you?”

Owen looked up, his blue eyes glinting with mischief, “Of course it’s me! Who else would dare pick the pocket of a freelancer?” he stood up straight and rubbed his chest, “That  _ really _ hurt.”

Ash gave a small smile, “Be grateful I wasn’t in a javelin?” she suggested as an apology. 

“I am grateful,” Owen frowned, his expressive eyebrows knitted together, “Noooo….” he changed his tone, “No I am not grateful. Because if you were in your javelin that would mean you were a freelancer! You would be freelanc-ing!”

“I am a freelancer.” she sighed, “What are you doing here in Fort Tarsis? The last time I saw you, was at Helios.”

Owen groaned, “Finished cyper school, got bored, left. Now I’m here.” he raised an eyebrow, “Still bored though.”

“I ran into a cyper who seemed very happy with being bored.” 

Owen groaned, “All cypers like to be bored. Not me. I would rather be a freelancer.” he let the word hang in the air, he had never hidden the fact he wanted to be a freelancer from her. She knew he wanted to use her suit, but she had seen him try a practice one and she didn’t trust him with her only form of income. Owen seemed to realize she wasn’t going to suggest what he was hoping so he continued, “So if figured I’d come to Fort Tarsis, the freelancer last headquarters, where the freelancers ruled. And you know what I found?”

“Not that.”

“Not that!” Owen threw his hands in the air, “So now I’m a temp cyper for the city. Under probation...again. But enough about my woes, what about you? Are you still...freelanc--ing?”

Ash couldn’t help but smile, “I need to fill out a form to request a cyper,” she sat on an empty market table, “which no one seems to want to give me.” 

Owen frowned, “What’s the job?”

Ashwin handed him the paper, “Patrol.”

Owen groaned in disgust, “Patrol?”

“It was that or sensor readings.”

Owen leaped up, “Sensor readings! You choose patrol over sensor readings? How could you? I just...I’m disgusted. Ashwin, you...I won’t say I’m disappointed in you...but close Ash. Very close.” 

Ash groaned and leaned back, “Sensor readings are boring.”

“Unless they’re not!” Owen argued, “Unless there is something unusual in the readings...maybe an anomaly? Then it’s not boring like a patrol. Then it’s fun. Exciting. Something new?”’ 

Ash sat up, and studied her friend, “Still need a cyper. Until then. I’m grounded. No jobs, no freelanc-ing.” 

Owen held out his hands and flicked his thumbs toward his chest, “Who has two thumbs and is an excellent cyper? This guy. Who is currently ready to put in his notice for his boring day job? This guy. Who understand Freelancer Ashwin better than anyone else in Fort Tarsis? You’re looking at him?”

Ash laughed, “You don’t know me! This is the second time you’ve tried to pickpocket me in three years!”

“True, but on both occasions, you bought lunch.” 

Ash frowned as she tried to remember, “I did?”

Owen waved her wallet in front of her face, “You did.” He said with a wink. 

Ashwin couldn't help but smile, "Owen, are you serious? You want to be my cyper?"

"No, I'm lying. I just want to get your hopes up and then watch them crash onto the ground. I'm sadistic like that." 

Ashwin's smile started to hurt her face, "But really, even though we're going to be making pennies. And it's going to be hard. And I'm going to yell at you...and..."

Owen pulled Ash to her feet, "And we have your javelin to unpack!"


	2. Jax

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jax has been dealing with his grief in his own way. But after a run in with Ashwin, he begins to remember what it means to be a freelancer.

The alcohol burned his throat with each swallow but his thoughts refused to be silenced. He had spent years in the white noise of vodka and moonshine but now the treatment didn’t seem to work. Instead his mind repeated everything Ashwin had said. 

She was an idiot. An idiot holding on to the glory days of the freelancers, and she had the nerve to tell him that he was the same. Jax was different. He had accepted the glory days were over. The defenders of the world were sentinels. There was no one left to face the chaos outside the walls. 

Jax looked up at the crumbling headquarters of the freelancers and back to the bottle. What was he doing here? Why did he stay in Fort Tarsis? He should have just left, walked away from everything but instead he waited at the job board for….something. 

Jax growled at himself and tossed the bottle into the bin. He knew he made the shot, but he wished the bottle didn’t shatter, he might need the vodka later. He rubbed the back of his head in frustration. He was retracing his steps. He was a ghost of his former self. He still came to the headquarters, he still checked the job board, he still went to the launch pad, and he still paced the forge like he had done before.

The Heart of Rage took everything from him. People called him a hero, but the number of people he saved didn’t even the scales for the people he lost. Afterwards, the people of Tarsis had treated him so gently, even as he tried to drown himself in the bottle, no one had called him on his bullshit. Until now, Ashwin had stormed into his life and read him his rights. Jax looked up at the statues, “What are you going to do Jax.” He asked himself. He could almost hear Eve’s voice in the question. 

Like a ghost, Jax slunked down one of the dark empty lines of stalls in the marketplace. He usually stumbled down the main street, straight to the launch pads. He had watched Ashwin’s first week of launches with a critical eye. Then he had sat with an undrunk bottle cracking under his fists until she landed. It was obvious that he shouldn’t worry. After each of her missions, no matter the damage to her javelin, she would leap out of the suit with a roar of victory. Jax would shake his head as she skipped down the street to reenact the battle with Owen at Dusty’s.

Zoe had noticed him watching, she would patiently let him look over the suit before she shoved him out of the forge. She would tease him constantly, she would call him daddy korox and drop hints how the damage could be avoided if she had a partner. It got so bad that Jax was now avoiding her as well. 

Jax approached the launch pad, Ashwin’s javelin was in the corner with Zoe and her apprentice looking over it. Jax frowned, he was sure Ashwin had landed hours ago. Why was her suit still in the forge?

A rock fell in his stomach, something had happened. If he had been there…

He pushed himself onto the launch pad and two two large steps up to the suit. 

“Hey Daddy Korox,” Zoe greeted, “you missed baby korox mission today.”

Jax ignored the comment and circled the javelin, “How’d it go?”

Zoe shrugged and motioned to three long tears in the shoulder, “Ran into a few wyverns but the early alert system is back online.”

Before the Heart of Rage, Zoe and Jax had been close. He had learned to recognize when there was more to the story, “What happened?”

Zoe squinted up at Jax, “Are you sober?” She changed the subject. 

“Apparently,” Jax sighed, he glanced at the ammo, surprised to see she hadn’t used her backups, “You didn’t answer my question.” 

Zoe put on her visor and motioned for Jax to put on a second pair. She lit her blowtorch and started working on a few of the cuts. They worked in silence until she was satisfied. Zoe stepped back and lifted up her goggles, she gave him the same squinting eye look, as if she thought she saw something on his face, “How long have you been sober?”

“Four days,” Jax answered, “Zoe.” he warned her back to the topic at hand. 

Zoe sighed heavily, “I dunno Jax. She seemed really shaken up. Didn’t say anything. Just walked away with her head down.”

Jax reached for the blowtorch without really thinking, Zoe slapped at his hand, “Don’t tell me how to do my job Jax.” 

Jax shook his head, his stomach tightened as he remembered the numerous wrenches in the stomach he had received from his smart mouth. 

Zoe smiled, “Jax!” she gasped, “Was that a smile?”

Jax tightened his jaw, “A grimace.” 

“A smirk?” Zoe teased again. 

Jax growled his answer, “What did Owen say? Did he say how it happened?”

Zoe shrugged, “Haven’t seen him. If you’re so concerned, go ask him.” Zoe frowned and looked up at him again, “Did I see you jogging yesterday?” 

Jax checked the warp of the visor and slowly passed it to Zoe, “I’ll ask him.” 

Zoe studied the visor and looked back at Jax. He recognized the look. Slowly Zoe stood up. She was a head shorter than him, but there was an energy about her that made her seem taller. “If she keeps going out alone she’s not going to come back.” Zoe said firmly, “And then you’re going to have to carry one more person back. So what are you going to do Jax?”

Jax couldn’t hide his anger, he could hear Eve ask him that question. She was the only one allowed to ask him that. Except she was dead. He looked down at the ground and then back up at Zoe, “I guess I’m going to stir shit up.” 

Jax spun on his heel and started down the market road. He hesitated for a moment, “I’m not coming back Zoe.” He said softer. He knew what she wanted from him. She wanted him to fly again. She wanted him to be a freelancer again. She wanted things to go back to the way they used to be. 

Zoe made a disbelieving noise, “Take a shower.” She ordered. Jax ignored her. 

He had an idea where Owen would be. If Eve was still alive she would have dragged the team to tear into Owen. She was firm in her belief that a good cyper took care of their lancers. A good cyper would identify the problem and fix it so this would never happen again. A good cyper wouldn’t be at the bar, flirting with a young merchant. 

Jax jogged down the steps and threw the curtain back as she entered Dusty’s. He heard Owen before he saw him. Jax scanned the room, Dusty was busy in a card game with Max, she looked ready to clean him out and Owen was leaning against the rail, his back to the door. 

The two young women that Owen was currently trying to impress did not seem all that impressed, in another life Jax would have enjoyed the scene. But he was too angry at the cyper to care. He caught Owen’s shoulder. 

“--my own javelin, I’ll be--ow!” Owen yelped and looked behind him at Jax. His blue eyes grew twice their size and he gave a nervous chuckle when he saw the rage burning in Jax’s face, “Hey there Jax. Nice to see you.” He squeaked trying to twist out of Jax’s grip. Jax grunted to the women, “Excuse us.” he directed Owen to a side room. 

“Ladies, I will just be a ---ow ow ooow! Easy Jax!” 

Jax shoved Owen into the room and closed the curtain to give them some privacy. Owen rubbed his shoulder, “Come on man!”

Jax shoved him down into the booth and blocked him with. He waited half a second. He had hoped Ashwin would appear, but apparently neither of them understood what being a team meant. 

“Look Jax, buddy.” Owen gave his best disarming smile, “I promise I will pay you back. With interest! Just...not right now.” Owen tried to stand up again, “So till next time.”

Jax shoved him down again, “You’ll pay me back now. Information.” 

Owen blinked , his eyebrows wrinkled as he squinted at Jax, “Are you sober?”

Jax growled his answer, “What happened?”

Owen shrugged, “I was telling those lovely ladies about--”

“What happened on mission!” barked Jax, there was a grinding sound in his head, “Why didn’t you warn Ashwin about the wyverns? Why didn’t she fire any shots?” 

For a split second Jax watched the bravo fall off of Owen’s face. He could see the fear and concern he had for Ashwin. His anger dropped slightly. Owen did care, he just didn’t know how to show it. 

“They flew from below, they came out of nowhere.” Owen stared softly, he paused and shook his head. He looked back up at Jax, his blue eyes sparkling with mischief, “Hundreds of them! Ashwin took them all out. Didn’t get a scratch!”

Jax’s fury only aided his speed, he caught Owen's shoulder and slammed his head on the table, “Tell the truth!” he roared and sat back in his chair, “I know she didn’t fire a shot. I know she got scratched up. What happened?”

“Ow!” Owen rubbed his nose, “Okay jeez. That hurt!” Owen eyes were wet with pain, “You could have broken my nose! There was a nest in a narrow ravine. They didn’t appear on radar until they attacked. I couldn’t warn her. I saw them when she did. Yes she got caught, but she fought them off. What else do you want to know?”

“Everything.” 

“That’s all there is to know!” Owen argued, “Where they were nesting blocked them from all scans. I readjusted the amplifier so it will never happen again.”

“Where’s Ashwin?”

Owen threw his hands in the air, “She went home. Said she was tired. I told you, I fixed it. It will never happen again!” 

“No,” Jax agreed, “It won’t.” He fought himself from throwing Owen into the table again. Instead he stood up and marched out of the bar, his mind spinning with that strange grinding sound. Owen was wrong. Unless the two of them changed how they ran the mission; she would get attacked again; and one of them would go down. 

_ What are you going to do Jax? _

“We’re good, right?” Owen called out, “Still friends?”

Jax didn’t bother acknowledging him. He knew what he needed to do. He had to do it, otherwise Zoe was right. There would be another body brought home. He found himself outside the Freelancer warehouse. The rage he used to get there died as he looked down the stairs, it seemed dark and foreboding. The last time he had been here was when the freelancers had moved from their headquarters. It was the physical representation of how far the freelancers had fallen. He closed his eyes and reluctantly took the first step into the space. Each step seemed to add gravity to his shoulders, he half expected to fall on his knees by the first cyper statue. The main room hadn’t changed, crates and supplies littered the space. Trophies and flags were tossed around, not given the recognition they deserved. Seeing the disregard the freelancers had to what they were stopped Jax in his tracks. 

Why bother? He asked himself. It was obvious the freelancers today didn’t care, why should he? He couldn’t do this, he wasn’t a freelancer any more. He was a ghost. He had tried to bring everyone home, and he carried more bodies home than living. He was a failure, he was a pretender, he was a mistake. Jax shook his head and turned to leave, perhaps it would be better if Ashwin was just a memory on the wall. 

“Jax?” 

The voice sent a shock through him. For a moment he did wonder if he was a ghost, he took a deep breath and turned around. She looked like Eve; blonde hair, small ears, blue eyes, lips twisted in a permanent annoyed smirk.

“Winry.” Jax shook his head, ‘Wow. I don’t believe it.” 

Winry smiled, “ _ I _ don’t believe it. Jaxon Kumar inside the freelancer office.” Her smile fell a little, “I haven’t seen you here before.”

Jax rubbed the back of his head, the voice of doubt still strong in his mind, “Got lost.” He cleared his throat, “How’s your dad?” 

Winry gave another small smile, “He’s good. He’s gotten used to the prosthetics. He and mom go on their walks again.” she smiled at the ground, “He wanted to modify his old javelin. Mom threatened him with a skillet.”

Jax gave a quick laugh, he could see that conversation in his mind’s eye. He rubbed the back of his head, he was almost afraid to look at her, he didn’t want to confuse her with Eve. 

Winry took a step closer, “You should stop by sometime. Timon misses you.” 

Jax nodded but didn’t answer. He tried to imagine Timon’s face if he saw Jax right now; he smelled of stale booze, completely unwashed and unshaved. The boy would probably run and hide, “Yeah,” Jax said slowly as he took a step back, “I’ll stop by sometime.” 

They both knew that wasn’t true. Winry traced the tiles with her foot, “Jax---” she swallowed hard, he could tell she wanted to say something but wasn’t ready yet, “So, umm, what brings you to the warehouse?” 

It was Jax’s turn to hesitate, “I, uh,” he shook his head, “I’m looking for a cyper?”

Winry blinked, “What?” she searched the hallway for a moment, and glanced to the empty cyper room. She shook her head slowly, “There’s a form.” she swallowed hard, “A form for official--”

“Winry,” Jax interrupted, “It’s not official.”

Winry’s head was still shaking, she blinked hard, her eyes wet, “No.” she spat out, “I can’t. Not for freelancers. Not again.” 

Jax nodded slowly, “Okay.” He didn’t blame her, and he really hadn’t thought it would be her down here anyways. She lost her sister that day, they went into the amplifiers next to each other but only Winry got up, “I understand.” 

Winry nodded and turned to go out into the alley, as if she wanted to get as far from Jax as she could. And he couldn’t blame her. He watched her for a moment before the words escaped his mouth, “Say hi to your dad for me.” 

Winry froze in her steps. Her head dropped to her chest before she turned around and glared at him. She looked exactly like her sister for a split second. Then she turned into their mother. She marched up to him and shook her finger, “Because you saved my dad. Just this once though, I’m not your cyper. I’m not Eve. It’s a favor. Got it? A favor.” 

Jax felt his jaw relax, “Thank you.” 

Winry shook her finger again, her eyes half closed as she stopped herself from saying what she was really thinking, “Take a shower.” she ordered. 

Jax wasn’t sure how he made it back to the launch pad. His mind was finally silent even that grinding rage that got him to this point was burned out. Jax forced himself to take a breath, he looked up at the suits and felt his stomach twist. 

An intercept suit stood cleaned and ready, black with red highlights, a white strip over the shoulder. Zoe stepped from around it, wiping her face with a towel on her shoulder. She looked over at Jax and smiled, “Your Tier 3 N7 Model Interceptor javelin.” She winked, “I did what I could, but there are some calibrations that can only be completed in the field.” 

A long forgotten feeling started in Jax’s viens. It felt as if every nerve in his body was releasing electricity. He wouldn’t be surprised if he got struck by lightning at this moment. He could barely the last time he flew it, “I’m not sure what’s more beautiful.” He breathed as he walked up to javelin. 

Zoe’s eyebrows knitted together, she opened her mouth a few times before she cleared her throat, “It’s been a while, you sure you’re up for it?”

Jax couldn’t tear his eyes away from the suit, his body moved before his mind could command his legs, he stepped into the suit, feeling it seal around him, he breathed a sigh of relief, “Just like riding a bike.” 

Zoe circled around, confirming all the locks were in place, “Do you have a cyper?”

“When was the last time you rode a bike?” Winry asked to announce her presence in his suit. 

Jax didn’t answer. He took a deep inhale, his trick for getting comfortable in his suit, and choked over the smell of body odor. 

Winry laughed in his ear, “Told you.” 

Jax grinned and tried again. He closed his breath, envisioned his body growing into the suit. The suit's feet became his feet, the hands  _ were _ his hands, he could feel his spin extend until he was eight feet tall. He didn’t need thrusters to fly, he could fly. Jax was no longer a ghost now, he was finally complete. 

“All systems are green,” Winry said, “Ready for launch.”

Jax felt his viser seal, “Clear launch!” he roared and started his thrusters. His muscles tensed as he felt the gears in the launch pad click. 

“Pad clear!” Zoe answered, “Launch in three!”

His heart was racing in his chest, energy in his nerves fired sporadically across his skin, he couldn’t wait. He crouched down as the final gear clicked. The world slowed and went silent. He felt the spring fire, and he jumped at the end of the push. Suddenly there was no gravity, there was only the wind in his ears and nothingness. The beams blurred as he sped past them, charging his thrusters the higher he went. He hovered for a split second before he turned and dove straight down feet from the wall. Jax howled his joy, picking up speed, then reversing thrusters at the last minute to summersault outside the walls. 

“Hell yes!” he laughed, “Hell yes!” he stretched for a split second and bounced in place. 

Winry was quiet for a moment, “Welcome back Jax.” she whispered in his ear. He wasn’t sure if he was actually supposed to hear that or not. 

He decided to ignore it, part of him didn’t want to remind her of Eve anymore than he already was. The voice of doubt tried to remind him of the dead he carried home, how many more would he carry. Then he could hear Ashwin’s voice telling him how many people would make it home because of him. 

“Hey Jax,” Winry cleared his thoughts, “Zoe wants you to run some calibration tests. It’s been a while.”

Jax shook his head, he had a favorite way to calibrate, the adrenaline started to surge in his veins, “Yes it has.”

Winry saw what he was about to do, “Wait Jax! Just simple tests! You haven’t--”

Jax sprinted off the wall, diving straight into the waterfall ravine. The water blinded his visors as he activated his thrusters again gathering speed as he dove. 

“Jax, pull up!” Winry screamed into his ears. Jax ignored her, at the last second, he changed direction, put on a burst of speed, causing water to splash up from the lake. He rose up and hovered above the water and looked around the canyon. 

“Calibrations complete.” he chuckled. 

“You are an asshole.” Winry breathed after a moment. 

Jax chuckled again and took off. Now that he was flying, he had forgotten why he put away the javelins. He was invincible, he was unstoppable, he was real. He was a freelancer.

After a few hours he found an outcrop to stretch and let his javelin cool. He practiced some techniques and stretched, “Hey Winry? Find me some trouble.” 

Winry didn’t answer, Jax imagined the air had suddenly turned chill from her fears. He winced inwardly, this wasn’t Eve. He had to speak to her differently, “See if anyone needs help.” 

Winry still didn’t respond. Jax took off and coasted over to Honor Valley. It was late, but there still might be one or two Sentinels who could use a guardian angel. He could feel Winry grumbling to herself, afraid to be a cyper for freelancers again. 

Jax enjoyed a gymnast tumble onto a roof, “Winry,” he started gently, “I’m not alone out here. Look around you, there are other cypers there, talking to sentinels, talking to arcanists, to freelancers. They’re all out here too. Let’s make sure we all go home tonight, okay?”

“Jax!” Winry burst in frustration, “Promise you will listen! Promise you will listen to me!”

“Okay.” Jax agreed.

“No!” Winry argued, “Promise when I tell you to pull out, you’ll pull out! When I say leave, you leave.” 

“Yes.” 

Winry was quiet for a moment, “A sentinel is checking something out north of the valley. He wants support standing by.” 

Jax smiled, “Oh, I’ll support that.” 

Jax took off pushing his system to go faster as he went north, it wasn’t long before he heard gunfire. He adjusted his flight pattern, prepping his systems for a fight.

“Jax, wait!” Winry begged, “More reinforcements are inbound. Wait for backup.” 

Jax could see the sentinel cornered by the outlaws. He shook his head, “I am the reinforcements.” 

“Jax, no!” Winry screamed in his ears. 

Jax gave a burst of speed, he caught one outlaw by the head and threw him into a line of shooters. He spun over his head and brought his foot onto another outlaw, crushing his head into the earth. The firefight slowed as the criminals looked over to the screaming. Jax drew both swords, “My turn.” he wished they could see his smile. 

The outlaws didn’t have a chance against him, he spun through them like a tornado. His blades, cutting past their armor like paper. 

“Jax!” Winry screamed, “You’re moving too fast, I can’t keep up. There’s too many readings. Pull out!” 

Jax charged through the reinforcement of the outlaws again, they fell around him. Not all of them got up. 

“Jax watch out!”

He drew his pistol and fired at the rocket launcher. The smuggler dropped to the ground without pulling the trigger. Jax turned back to criminals, they were simply trying to overwhelm him by their numbers, but he was moving too fast for them to get a clear shot. Winry was pleading with him to slow down but Jax ignored her. He had to test his limits, he had to make sure he could still protect people. 

“Jax behind you!”

Jax felt a prick on his shoulder. He twisted to see a victorious grin from the outlaw that had thrust a dagger into Jax’s shoulder. Only the tip got through his javelin. Jax looked between the dagger to the criminal. The man’s smile faded when he realized that he actually hadn’t hurt Jax. Jax drew the dagger and threw it into the man’s skull. 

Jax looked around the area, no one was standing but him. He jogged over to the building, leaped over the wall to the Sentinel who stood up from cover as he approached. 

“All clear.” Jax held out his hand. 

The Sentinel hesitated and shook it slowly, “Thanks.” 

Jax looked at the dead and back at the guard, “You can handle the paperwork on this right?”

“Jaxon Kumar,” a voice rang in his ears, “You will get back to Fort Tarsis now.” 

Jax swallowed, “On second thought, let’s forget the paperwork.” He gave a mock salute to the sentinel and took off. 

Winry was waiting for him at the launch pad. She didn’t wait for the suit to cool, she was inches from him, she shook her finger at him, “You promised.” she snarled. 

Jax nodded, “I did.” 

“You lied.”

“I did.” 

Winry was trembling, she was so angry. She opened her mouth several times and shut them. Finally she shook her head, “I’m not your cyper.” 

“No,” he agreed. 

Tears streamed out of her eyes, “I’m not my sister.” she choked out, “I can’t do freelancer things anymore.”

Jax dropped to a knee, he wrapped her in a tight hug, “No. No, and I would never ask you to do that again.”

Winry sobs echoed in his suit, when she finally got her voice back she pushed him back. Jax watched her wipe her tears angrily off her face, “I’m glad you’re back, you asshole. Took you long enough.” 

Jax carefully brushed her hair out of her face, “Thank you, Win. And I’m sorry.” He hung his head, “I’m sorry for everything.” 

Winry glared at him, “I know.” she took a deep breath, “I’m going to go home now. You will be coming to dinner. Do you hear me?”

Jax saluted her, “Yes ma’am.” Jax looked over at Zoe who was doing her best to pretend not to be listening, “But first I’ve been told to take a shower.”

Zoe failed to hide her smirk. 

“Yeah you do.” Winry agreed, “And you have a mission in the morning.”

Jax slid out of his suit, “That’s right,” he couldn’t stop smiling, “I do.” 

“Oh jeez Jax!” Winry stepped away, “You reak!”

Jax couldn’t help but laugh. He didn’t feel like a ghost anymore. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm super excited to bounce between Ash and Jax. The whole point of the game was to work with a group. I figured it would be natural to follow two to four people. It's hard to create four diverse people, so I'm going to focus on Ash and Jax. I think I'll have a chapter with Jax's backstory.


End file.
